EFCC arraigns two suspects who collected N603.4m to facilitate NNPC job

2026-02-10 - 12:28

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arraigned two suspects, Gidado Ibrahim and Halimat Adenike Tejusho, over the alleged collection of N603.4 million to facilitate the appointment of one Oluseye Yomi-Sholoye as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. Tejusho is currently at large. The suspects were arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on an amended six-count charge bordering on fraud and obtaining money by false pretence. According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly obtained the sum from the complainant between August and October 2024 on the claim that they could influence her appointment into the top position at the national oil company. Part of the charge sheet read: “That you GIDADO IBRAHIM and HALIMAT ADENIKE TEJUSHO O (now at large) between August 2024 to October 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court obtained the sum of N603,400,000.00 (Six Hundred and Three Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) from OLUSEYE YOMI-SHOLOYE under the false pretence that you will facilitate her appointment as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which pretence you knew to be false.” The commission said the offence is contrary to Section 1(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same law. The EFCC further accused Ibrahim of using a forged document bearing the letterhead of the Presidency. Another count read: “That you, GIDADO IBRAHIM sometime in August, 2024 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did use as genuine a forged document titled ‘Presidential Villa State House, OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER’ when you knew or had reason to believe it to be forged. Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Y. Tarfa, urged the court to fix a date for trial and applied for the defendant to be remanded in a correctional facility. However, counsel to the defendant, B. B. Alhaji, appealed to the court to remand his client in EFCC custody, citing his health condition, pending the determination of his bail application. The trial judge, H. Muazu, adjourned the matter to February 17, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application. The court subsequently ordered that Ibrahim be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja. Vanguard News